How Do I Know If My Skylight Needs To Be Replaced?

Have you started noticing water stains around your skylight, or worse, actual drips during a Seattle downpour? Does the thought of replacing your skylight sound like an expensive hassle you’d rather avoid?

You’re not alone. Many Seattle homeowners deal with leaking or failing skylights and don’t know whether to blame the skylight itself, the installation, or the roof. And with our city’s relentless rain, it’s easy to assume all skylights are doomed to leak eventually.

But here’s the truth: skylights don’t fail because it’s rainy in Seattle. They fail because they were installed wrong or left on the roof too long.

At RoofSmart, we’ve installed and replaced thousands of skylights. We’ve fixed everything from simple flashing mistakes to major seal failures in an old skylight. 

In this article, we’ll break down the key indicators that your skylight needs to be replaced to help you figure out your next best move.

Are skylights prone to leaks in Seattle’s rainy climate?

In general, skylights seem to have a bad reputation because most Seattle homeowners assume that they are going to leak. However, that’s not necessarily true. 

If your skylight leaks and has lots of problems, it's not the skylight's fault. The big issue that people are seeing when a skylight fails prematurely is incompetence during installation. In other words, it means that the skylight was installed incorrectly, either because of a mistake that went unnoticed or because the installer didn’t really know what they were doing. 

Your skylight shouldn’t be leaking or having problems after a few years. If it does, then it’s either defective or was not installed correctly.

Deck-mounted skylights are more prone to leaking because they're more reliant on seals than on overlapping flashing. This type of skylight gets installed directly into the roof, which makes it harder to seal properly. It’s common to make mistakes. 

What causes skylights to fail in Seattle? 

If you’re having problems with skylights on your Seattle home, it usually means that the skylight itself is failing or the flashing around it has failed. Sometimes you can tell what’s wrong depending on where you see the water staining or dripping.

Here’s how to tell if your skylight issues are due to an old skylight or a flashing issue: 

• The skylight is old and failing if: you can see fogging in the window itself. This means that you have condensation building up between the glass panes because the seal around them has failed. That seal gets old over time, and it cracks, and then it lets air in between the glass panes, causing the fogging. 

Another indicator that the skylight is having issues is if you see water dripping in the skylight well. 

• The flashing is causing the leak: if you see water staining in the ceiling around your skylight. This indicates that there is a problem with the flashing, which is more of a roof issue than a skylight issue. This can happen due to poor installation or because the skylight was installed a long time ago. 

Here’s an example of poorly installed skylights that leaked: 

They had some flashing on the top to direct water off to the sides, but no flashing on the side (just caulking). As a result, the water would travel down to the side of the skylight and get into the roof from there. 

There are some cases when it’s not completely clear what’s causing your skylight to leak or have other issues, so your roofer might need to start the skylight removal process and look closer to make a full diagnosis. 

Why do I need to replace an old skylight?

If your skylight gets too old, it needs to be replaced, or it might damage your roof. If it’s leaking, it will definitely need to be replaced. Leaks can lead to mold, rotting wood, and water damage. These are all expensive and difficult issues to repair.

Aside from fixing leaks, here are some other reasons why it’s a good idea to replace your old skylights:

• Energy Inefficiency: Some older skylights are acrylic, so they're not energy-efficient at all, but a lot of them are just tempered glass, and they don't have any low-E glazing. Because of this, they don't do anything to reflect UV, and you end up getting a lot of heat gain in the summer. Basically, it's a little greenhouse built into your roof, generating extra heat, which is the last thing you want in the summer. This will increase your energy costs. 
• Safety Risks: Older skylights are usually made out of tempered glass instead of laminated safety glass. Tempered glass is hardened, so it doesn't crack as easily, but it will shatter. And so, if a branch hits it it will burst into a million pieces. Whereas a laminated safety glass is like windshield glass. When hit, it will crack, but it won't collapse, and it won't shatter into a billion pieces. It will keep the branch (and glass shards) out of your house. Also, if somebody were to step on your skylight or trip and fall on it, tempered glass is not going to stop you. You're going right through. But laminated glass will stop you just like a windshield would. Laminated glass is required by code if the skylight is 12 feet or more off the ground, which isn’t commonly known.

Is replacing my skylight always the best solution for my Seattle roof?

If you’re noticing fogging or dripping water in the skylight well, that indicates that your skylight is having issues and needs to be replaced. Usually, homeowners wait until there are noticeable issues to replace their skylights. 

You don’t always need to replace your skylight if there’s a flashing issue. That can usually be fixed by working on the roof rather than changing the skylight. 

How much should I budget to replace my skylight in Seattle?

Now that you know the signs your skylight might need to be replaced, and why ignoring them can lead to bigger roof problems, the next logical question is: what is this going to cost me?

Whether you’re dealing with a leak, fogging glass, or just want to upgrade to a more energy-efficient model, skylight replacement is an investment, but it doesn’t have to be a guessing game.

From the type of skylight you choose (deck-mounted vs. curb-mounted) to whether you're installing it during a roof replacement or as a standalone project, there are several factors that influence price.

Read our article “How Much Does It Cost to Install a Skylight in Seattle?” to find out exactly how much it costs to install a skylight in Seattle and which factors affect the final price.